The United States has condemned him and is seeking to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang
North Korea tests tactical guided missiles in new indication of its arsenal development
One of the tactical guided missiles tested by North Korea.
AFP
picture
North Korea fired tactical guided missiles on Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, the latest in a series of tests that highlighted its advanced missile programs amid stalled denuclearization talks. The missile test is North Korea's fourth in 2022, as it conducted two previous launches that included "supersonic missiles" with high-speed capabilities and maneuverability after takeoff, and another test on Friday using two short-range ballistic missiles launched from train cars.
The South Korean military said that North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from an airport in the capital, Pyongyang, which traveled about 380 km and reached a maximum height of 42 km. North Korea's official news agency added that the Academy of Defense Sciences tested a tactical guided missile in the west of the country, where the system accurately hit the target off the east coast, without giving further details. "The purpose of the experiment was to assess the tactical guided missiles being produced and deployed, and to verify the accuracy of the weapon system," the agency said. She added that the experience confirmed "the accuracy, security and efficiency of the operation of the weapons system under production."
The unusually fast sequence of launches has drawn US condemnation and a push for new sanctions, while Pyongyang warns of stronger action, raising the specter of a return to the "fire and fury" period of 2017. The US State Department said the US special representative for North Korea After a call with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim urged Pyongyang to "stop its illegal and destabilizing activities" and resume dialogue, saying he would welcome the meeting "without preconditions."
South Korea's Defense Ministry said yesterday that it considers all North Korean missile launches a "direct and serious threat", but that its military is able to detect and intercept them. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric described North Korea's tests as "increasingly worrying", calling on all parties to return to talks to defuse tension and promote "verifiable disarmament of the Korean peninsula". North Korea used Sunan Airport to test-launch a medium-range Hwasong-12 ballistic missile in 2017, in the presence of leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea has not tested its longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons since 2017, as it entered a round of diplomacy with Washington in 2018, but began testing a range of new designs for short-range ballistic missiles after denuclearization talks faltered, and they returned to confrontation from New after a failed summit in 2019. Kim did not attend the last test.
A photo released by the agency showed a missile soaring into the sky above a cloud of dust and emitting a flame.
• North Korea's official news agency said that the Academy of Defense Sciences tested tactical guided missiles in the west of the country, where the system hit the target accurately off the eastern coast, without giving further details.
• The South Korean Ministry of Defense said yesterday that it considers all North Korean missile launches a "dangerous and direct threat", but its army is able to monitor and intercept them.
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